Thanksgiving

First let me start by saying Happy Thanksgiving. Traditionally in my family we celebrate Thanksgiving by going to my brothers house in Ann Arbor with the whole family. We used to eat the traditional big feast, but now we have switched over to a cold lunch style buffet. We have turkey and ham for sandwiches, as well as all the fixins. We do it this way to avoid having to spend so much time cooking and cleaning. Another plus to this is that when people come at different times, they can eat whenever they want to. The men in the house usually are perched in front of the television watching some sports, while the women all have some drinks and play games. The kids are usually in the basement on some game system. I won't lie, I am usually in the basement with my drink playing video games too : )

I am so thankful for so many things. I am thankful for my family and friends, especially as of late. They have helped me get through some tough times and I love them for that. I am thankful for my job, that is hard to come by in these times. I am thankful for my health. And most of all, I am thankful that the end of this semester is near.

Gaunt to Gargantuan

In the article Gaunt to Gargantuan and Back by Caryn James, James argues that actors/ actresses today go to extremes with their changes in weight for the roles they portray; weight gain and loss has become a new form of stunt acting. The author describes how Christian Bale lost 63 pounds for his role in The Machinist as well as Renee Zellweger gaining 20 pounds for her role in Bridget Jones diary. James views this as an unhealthy choice, and describes how going through such drastic weight change is not good for your body. She concludes by saying “it’s easy to imagine a new stunt-acting extreme, in which cosmetic surgeons help performs hone their most conspicuous tools, their bodies.”

Although I do not feel that these drastic weight changes are good for their health, I do feel that it takes great passion, and devotion to their roles to go through such transformations. When I saw Cast Away for the first time, I remember thinking how believable Tom Hanks was in his role. Much of his credibility was the drastic weight change that he endured to make it believable. In addition, if actors/actresses want to wear “fat suits” to bulk them up for roles, that’s just fine. What about characters that need to be thinner? You can’t just put on a suit for that right? Most people in movies have access to the best of everything: health care, chefs, trainers etc. If they need to be unhealthy for a short period of time, more power to them. In the long run, they will probably end up in better shape than we could ever be.

My so called weekend : (

While most people were having a good time with Halloween festivities, I was packing the last 13 years of my life in boxes. To add to the fun, I was packing these boxes because my boyfriend and I broke up, and I needed to move. I have always heard "what doesn't kill ya will make you stronger". If this is the case, I should be the strongest girl in the land! I should have been handing out candy, or attending Halloween parties. Instead, I was packing and crying. I should have been studying for my SOC mid-term. Instead, I was cleaning and crying. I hope whoever reads this had a great weekend. Maybe next weekend, which is also my Birthday, will be better to read about.

Did you know?

After viewing the youtube video “Did you Know?” I was in a bit of shock. I was aware of how technology is progressing in a hurry, but I never really knew just how much.

The video claims China will soon be the number 1 English speaking country in the world. If you had asked me which country it would be, I would have said the USA.

Another tidbit of information they gave is how there are 31 billion searches on Google every month. Then the video asks, “to who were these questions addressed B.G? (Before Google)” This first made me laugh, then I thought to myself “who did I ask the questions to B.G?”

One of the most perplexing spots in the video is when we are told that by 2013, a supercomputer will be built that exceeds the computational capabilities of the human brain; and predictions say that by 2049, a $1000 computer will exceed the computational capabilities of the entire human species. This is shocking. How is it that we can create such a machine, but we can’t cure cancer?

These were just a few of many interesting things in this video. What does it all mean? I think it just shows us that technology is progressing at an alarming rate. Make sure to keep your eyes open, blink - and you may not be able to keep up!

*Photo property of onemansblog.com

Restaurant Review

Westpoint Bar-B-Que

25301 Michigan Ave.
Dearborn, MI 48124
(313)278-3311

Bar-B-Que on The Ave-By Kimberly Blevins

Have you ever had a hankering for some good- fall off the bone ribs? Well, on Sunday October 11, 2009, I sure did. While driving through my local neighborhood, I saw one of my favorites, Westpoint BBQ, located in West Dearborn on Michigan Ave. I pulled in, and immediately noticed the parking lot was small, parking sparse. I found a spot and made my way inside. The building looks nice from the outside. It is half tan and half stone bricks with a hint of black and red to add some flavor.

Upon walking in the door, we were immediately greeted by a chubby chef painted on a wall just inside the door. He is carrying some of the foods offered at Westpoint. Ribs, chicken, and seafood. The painted food looks appealing,and I can only hope that the taste was as delicious.

As we enter the dinning room, we are greeted by a casually dressed waitress and asked “smoking or non?” This is a change, since most restaurants are smoke- free nowadays. We selected non-smoking and were escorted to the larger dining room area. There were only 12 tables in this section and the smoking area was even smaller. The walls were painted on top with a mix of tan and brown to give the illusion of an old building. The bottom was wood paneling. The booths were comfy with nicely padded brown cushions. The walls were splashed with paintings. These were no ordinary paintings. They were: shelves, plants, cabinets, and even a wine hutch. From a far it looks like the real thing. Chandeliers and sunlight from the many windows softly lit the rooms. The music playing was top forty, but it was not overpowering.

The menu offers many common BBQ favorites. Ribs and chicken are the best sellers here, but they also offer: large salads, seafood, steaks, kabobs, sandwiches, melts and pitas. If you are having a hard time deciding what to order, they offer nine different combination platters so you can sample a little of everything. These combos range from ribs and chicken ($12.99) to steak and shrimp ($19.99). Westpoint also offers catering for events, as well as broasted chicken to go.

Shortly after being seated, the waitress came to take our drink order. Westpoint offers a variety of beverages. Coke products are the soft drinks on the menu. They are $1.99 a glass and come with free refills. They also serve hot/cold teas, coffee, and even milk. If you want a little kick with your meal, they offer a variety of alcoholic beverages. They range from domestic beer at $2.95 to Pieceporter at $4.25 a glass. They also offer a full bar for whatever else your heart may desire.

The appetizer section of the menu had many common items seen in many restaurants: wing dings, shrimp, cheese sticks, breaded mushrooms, and onion rings. They range in price from $2.49 to $6.99. Although many of these sounded delicious, we chose to skip the extra calories and head straight for the meal.

By the time our drinks arrived, we had made our selection. I chose the half slab of BBQ ribs ($11.29), which comes with: soup, salad or coleslaw – choice of potato or mixed veggies – and a huge slice of their famous Texas toast garlic bread. I went with the French onion crock of Au gratin soup (which is one of their specialties), and a baked potato with sour cream. My companion chose the fish dinner-batter dipped cod ($8.79), which has the same side options as all the dinners. He chose chicken noodle soup, and fries with his dinner.

The onion soup came in a small crock. There was melted cheese over the top and you could see the chunks of bread trying to poke through. I can see why this is one of their specialties. The soup had great flavor; you can taste the home cooking in this one. The broth was perfect. Adding the cheese on top was the kicker – it topped it off just right. The chicken noodle soup was good as well. The broth had a nice chicken flavor, chunks of white meat chicken, carrots and celery. Mixed in with the chicken and veggies were a large amount of egg noodles. The noodles were a little mushy for my liking but, the soup was still delicious. These soups are also available ala cart for a low cost.

We waited roughly fifteen minutes between soups and our meal. During this time, I chose to visit the restroom. When I walked in I noticed how clean the facilities were. Not only were they clean, they smelled nice too. As I walked back to our booth, I looked around at the customers enjoying their meals. There were not too many visitors while we were there. This seemed strange due to the parking lot being full. Most of the families eating were nicely dressed, like they just left church. Being that it was a Sunday afternoon, I suppose I am right. I made my way back to the booth just as our plates arrive.

The food looked delicious. The plate was clean and large enough to hold the half slab, potato, and the giant Texas toast slice. The fish dinner looked just as good and was a large portion. I dive into the first rib. The BBQ sauce wasn’t anything to write home about, but it was sweet and tangy. The meat just fell right off the bone. It was tender and succulent, with little fat at all. I can see why they sell so much. Next was the potato. Usually, I am a huge fan of the baked potato. This one, however, was not to my liking. The skin was a bit too overcooked. This made it tough to eat. The sour cream came in a little package instead of being put on the potato. I decided to push it aside and dive into the Texas toast. As soon as I brought the bread to my lips I could smell the aroma of garlic that made my mouth water. The toast was amazing. Perfectly grilled, the outside was golden brown, with a soft center. The amount of seasoning was also just right. Definitely worth taking up so much room on the plate.

Next, I sampled the fish. The outside was battered but not too greasy. I bite into a perfectly crunchy coating that gives way to a delicate flaky center. The fish was nice, but does not compare to the ribs. The fries were a little undercooked for me. The chef seems to need a lesson in potato 101.

After finishing our meal, the waitress returns to see if we would like dessert. She tells us the dessert selection, which contains many different cakes and pies ($2.95) and we decided to go with the chocolate torte – which she recommends as a big seller, and ask for it to go (due to the snugness of our waistbands. She returns with the bill, and our torte in a carryout container. For two dinners, 2 soft drinks, and a dessert the total bill came to $28.64.

I would definitely recommend Westpoint BBQ if you are in Dearborn and have a hankering as I did. The wait staff was friendly, the restaurant was clean, and the food was finger licking good!

Although reservations are not required, for large groups, reservations are recommended.
yelp.com restaurant reviews gave Westpoint BBQ a average star rating of 3.5

P.S. When I finally had room to eat the torte, it was chocolate heaven. Layers of chocolate goodness melting in my mouth…mmmmm


*All photos are copyright of Kimberly Blevins*

My Music

The type of music that I am most interested in is Hip Hop. I love the way the music makes me bob my head, i really get into it. My favorite artists are: Jurassic 5, Jay-Z, Beastie Boys, Gnarles Barkley.

Writing Award Review

Tonight I attended the U of M Dearborn annual writing awards ceremony and reception. The event was held on September 30th, located in the CASL building - auditorium reception room 1030.

Before entering the room where they ceremony was to take place I took a seat at the reception and enjoyed a cup of delicious apple cider. There were many snacks available, which also looked yummy, donuts, candy, crackers and cheese, but I chose not to have any.

Upon entering the auditorium I noticed a few people I recognized from comp 227, the rest of the people in attendance were unfamiliar. There were some families there to support the winners, as well as students, faculty, and of course the award winners themselves.

As Professor Potvin took the podium to start the ceremony, the chatter from the audience silenced. He began by welcoming writers, family, and friends and then started with the presentation of the awards.

As the award were presented, some of the writers chose to read exerts of their writings, while others chose to just accept their awards. Sadly, there were many writers not in attendance this evening.

Out of all of the writings 2 stood out to me. In the category of fiction – Holly Carlisle’s’ “Point of no return” was a story about abuse. Her writing made me feel like I was in the story. Again in the category of fiction – Lauren Crawford's’ “Swing on the spiral” was very interesting. The use of descriptive language made it easy to get involved with the story, when it was over I wanted to hear the rest of the story.

All in all, I enjoyed the event. The seating was kind of cramped, and it would have been nice to have a program with the winners names, but this was presented to Professor Potvin and he said this was a good idea that they may do for next years awards.

Congratulations to the winners, good luck with your future writings!

FICTION
Lauren Crawford “Swing on the Spiral” - Stephanie Bizek “The Trunk” - Holly Carlisle “Point of No Return”

POETRY
Amal Algahmi “Hitchhiker” - Carl J. Garfield “Tornado Township” - Klodiana Myftiu “He and I”

RESEARCH WRITING (two first-place winners)
Melissa Buffenn “Examining Race Through Behavioral Genetics” - Lauren Crawford “Winding the Toy of Morality: Defining the Existential and Hedonistic Morality of Anthony Burgess’ 'A Clockwork Orange' ” -
Fallon Thigpen “Infant Baptism and Heart Renewal in Charles Kingley’s 'The Water Babies' "

CREATIVE NON-FICTION
Cristi Scott “What Were You Thinking” - Stephanie Hymes “Socially Challenged” - Angelica Brown “Pretty Girls Make Graves”

FIRST-YEAR WRITING
Casaundra Hendricks “The Languages I Speak” - Zach Gielow “Schools Call the Shots” - Shahnaz Khan “Social Media vs. Traditional Media” - *Honorable Mention – Klodiana Myftiu “Albanian Americans: A Mix of Two Worlds”

HONORS WRITING
Emma Slonina “Mixed Motivations: Adolf Eichmann’s Relationship with Anti-Semitism”